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AHCA/NCAL announces incoming president & CEO
By Toby Pearson | July 19, 2024 | All members
On Monday, July 15, 2024, the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), representing more than 14,000 nursing facilities and other long-term care facilities that provide care to approximately five million people each year, formally announced the appointment of Clifton J. Porter, II as the new president and chief executive officer, effective fall 2024. Porter currently serves as senior vice president of government relations for AHCA/NCAL, leading the organization’s legislative agenda and advocacy efforts.
“Clif brings a unique blend of front-line experience and lobbying acumen that makes him an ideal candidate to head AHCA/NCAL,” said Phil Scalo, chair of the AHCA Board of Governors. “We are delighted to see him take this next step, and we are confident AHCA/NCAL as well as the profession’s future will be bright under his leadership.”
“As a lifelong advocate for our nation’s seniors, I am honored to take the helm of AHCA/NCAL at this pivotal moment in its history,” said Porter. “Our recovery from the pandemic must continue if we are to deliver for our nation’s growing elderly population. We must also remain steadfast in our quality improvement efforts while encouraging meaningful investments in our profession, so that we may strengthen our workforce and modernize our approaches. I look forward to working with our members, fellow stakeholders, and our nation’s policymakers to further our mission of improving lives by delivering solutions for quality care.”
Porter has been serving the needs of seniors in the long-term care field for 35 years, beginning as a nursing facility volunteer and then starting his career as an administrator in training at a skilled nursing facility. He went on to serve as an administrator of several skilled nursing centers, capping his operational experience as a regional director of operations for a large-urban market. Porter then joined HCR ManorCare (now ProMedica Senior Care) to lead the company’s advocacy efforts as its vice president of government relations for nearly 10 years. He has also served on various state health care association boards.
In his current role at AHCA/NCAL, Porter has been intricately involved in many legislative accomplishments, including securing billions in life-saving resources for the sector during the pandemic. He recently
received McKnight’s Long-Term Care News’ Industry Ally Award and made The Hill’s Top 100 Lobbyists for his advocacy efforts.
Porter holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine in Healthcare Management. He and his wife, Deborah, established the Porter Legacy Scholarship to support diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts for students pursuing bachelor’s degrees in health services at VCU’s College of Health Professions.
Porter will be responsible for leading the next chapter of AHCA/NCAL as America’s long term and post-acute care profession and the nation prepares for a rapidly growing elderly population. He will have oversight of the key strategic objectives, which include ensuring a robust workforce, reimbursement system, and regulatory environment for the profession. Porter will also manage the association’s trade shows and events, member education, as well as other strategic partnerships and endeavors. When he assumes the role, he will be the first African American to fill the role in AHCA/NCAL’s 75-year history.
AHCA/NCAL’s current President & CEO, Mark Parkinson,
announced his retirement earlier this year. Upon the announcement, Scalo appointed a selection committee, which sought input from AHCA/NCAL’s diverse membership and interviewed scores of candidates. After a thorough review and search, the AHCA Board selected Porter among the finalist candidates. The search was conducted by Heidrick & Struggles.
Toby Pearson | President/CEO | tpearson@careproviders.org | 952-851-2487